A Hard Road Ahead of Them

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.

Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent?

But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You shall see to it yourself!”

Now when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; you yourselves shall see.”

Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “This man was in fact innocent.”

Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all people.

For the report of your obedience has reached everyone; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil.

For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens;